EngineAIJudgment Day jokes are writing themselves after Chinese robotics startup EngineAi unveiled its new T800 humanoid robot and showed off its combat power by literally kicking its own CEO across the room.
EngineAi is a fast-rising robotics firm out of Shenzhen, China. Founded in 2023 and led by robotics veteran Zhao Tongyang, the company has become a standout in China’s rapidly growing tech scene. Tongyang, still in his mid-30s, previously worked on Xpeng’s IRON humanoid robot before launching EngineAi.
In just two years, the team has built the T800, a full-scale humanoid robot that’s gone viral for its shockingly human-like agility. Clips of the machine performing lightning-fast Kung Fu movements spread across social media, with some viewers even accusing the videos of being CGI.
To silence the skeptics, EngineAi dropped a new multi-angle demo. This time, the CEO himself suited up in protective padding and stood in front of the robot.
$25,000 ‘Terminator’ kicks AI company CEO
The footage shows the T800 planting its foot, swinging forward, and blasting Tongyang with a clean kick. The CEO is sent flying backward while the robot remains perfectly balanced and unfazed.
“Without protective gear, no one could withstand it,” Tongyang said afterward. “Anyone would break a bone.”
The T800 model is set to sell for $25,000 with the first shipments expected no later than June 2, 2026.
According to Humanoidsdaily, the CEO’s sparring session is essentially a teaser for EngineAI’s “Robot Boxer” showcase on December 24. The company has been signaling for weeks that a combat-ready T800 was on the way, framing these intense demos as part of a coordinated rollout rather than random one-off clips.
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The name T800 is no coincidence. It’s the same model designation used for the iconic Terminator units in the film franchise, including the one portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
With humanoid AI robots rapidly advancing, and now showing enough force to launch a grown man, concerns about a real-life Skynet aren’t sounding quite as far-fetched as they used to.
If EngineAi ever reveals a liquid-metal T1000, it might be time to panic.